Subhechcha Ganguly 
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is all set to make his debut in the Rajya Sabha, supported by Tamil Nadu’s ruling party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In a significant political move, the DMK has decided to allocate one of its four Rajya Sabha seats to Haasan’s party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), as part of a pre-existing electoral alliance.
The MNM has already passed a resolution nominating Haasan to the Upper House of Parliament, marking a new chapter in his political journey which began in 2018 with the promise of alternative governance.
On Tuesday, DMK President and Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the party’s official candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections—senior advocate P. Wilson, poet and writer Salma, and former minister S.R. Sivalingam. Alongside these nominations, the seat allocated to MNM reaffirms the DMK’s commitment to its alliance partner, formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu are set to retire on July 24, 2025, including PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK’s Vaiko. Based on its current strength in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the DMK and its allies are poised to secure four of these six seats, while the opposition AIADMK, backed by its allies including the BJP, is expected to win the remaining two.
